Cypriot euro coins

Cyprus has been a member of the European Union since 1 May 2004 and, according to Article 4 of the Treaty of Accession 2003, is a member of the Economic and Monetary Union of the European Union with a 'temporary' derogation, just like the other 9 member states that joined in 2004.[1] Its concrete accession date to the third stage of the EMU and its final adoption of the euro as its official currency (which will replace the current currency, the Cyprus pound) is currently planned on 1 January 2008, over two and a half years after 2 May 2005, when the country joined the ERM II. [2]

The official public contest for the design of the Cypriot euro coins, which ended on 14 October 2005, defined that the required motifs of the respective coins should encompass: [3]

• 1 cent, 2 cent, 5 cent: The Mouflon, the most characteristic species of fauna in Cyprus, representing the island's nature and wildlife [4]
• 10 cent, 20 cent, 50 cent: The Kyrenia ship of 4th Century B.C., representing Cyprus's history and its character as an island as well as its importance in trade.[5]
• €1, €2: The Idol of Pomos, a cross-shaped idol dating back to the Cypriot chalcolithic period (3.000 B.C.), found in Pomos, a village in the district of Paphos. It is a characteristic example of prehistoric art in Cyprus, representing the island’s antiquity, culture and civilization. [6]

A revised announcement for the competition stated that the artists must include the name of Cyprus in Greek, Turkish, and English, that is, ΚΥΠΡΟΣ, KIBRIS, CYPRUS in the design for the coins. [7]

On 11 October 2006 the final designs of the Cypriot euro coins were presented at the exhibition "Από τη Λίρα στο Ευρώ" ("From the Pound to the Euro") of the Central Bank of Cyprus about the history of currency in Cyprus [8] and are shown below. They do not appear to include "Cyprus" in English, as demanded by the revised competition rules, but instead only in the state's two official languages, Greek and Turkish.

On February 13, 2007, the Republic of Cyprus formally applied to join the eurozone on January 1, 2008. The final decision is expected to be taken in Brussels on June 21-22 at an EU Summit to be ratified by all EU heads of state.

On March 9 2007, the campaign to inform the citizens of Cyprus about the euro officially began in Cypriot media.

On March 15 2007, the House of Representatives passed the necessary laws for the introduction of the euro on January 1 2008.

Depiction of Cypriot euro coinage | Obverse side

1 cent	2 cents	5 cents
File:Cy 1cent.jpg	File:Cy 1cent.jpg	File:Cy 1cent.jpg
The Mouflon
10 cents	20 cents	50 cents
File:Cy 20cents.jpg	File:Cy 20cents.jpg	File:Cy 20cents.jpg
The Kyrenia ship (These three coins share the same design,but the 10 and 50 cent coins actually have different edges.)
€ 1	€ 2	€ 2 Coin Edge
File:Cy 1euro.jpg	File:Cy 2euro.jpg	Currently unknown
The Idol of Pomos

External link

• Website of the Central Bank of Cyprus with the final national designs. (Click on the name of each denomination to see the respective design)

• National Website for the Euro from the Republic of Cyprus